Authors

• Kivivuori, Janne (University of Helsinki. Institute of Criminology and Legal Policy)
• Näsi, Matti (University of Helsinki. Institute of Criminology and Legal Policy)

Keywords

assault, bullying, burglary, crime and security, crime victims, criminal damage, cyberbullying, drinking behaviour, drug offences, juvenile delinquency, offences, personality traits, robbery, schoolchildren, schoolteachers, shopifting, theft, youth

Abstract

The survey studied the extent, frequency and nature of self-reported offending among young people in Finland as well as their attitudes towards crime and experiences of being victims.

Questions covered truancy, making graffiti, damaging the school's or other property, theft and shoplifting, motor vehicle theft, breaking and entering, copyright infringement online, bullying and cyberbullying, taking part in a fight, assault, robbery, possession of a weapon, alcohol use, drink-driving, and drug use. If the respondents admitted to having done any of the acts mentioned, they were asked whether they had done it in the previous 12 months and how many times. Relating to some of the offences, the respondents were also presented with specifying questions about the last time they had committed the act, for example, whether they had acted alone, whether they had been drunk at the time, whether the act had been revenge for some previous incident, what they had stolen, and whether their motive for the offence had been discriminatory.

The respondents were also asked whether they had been a victim of criminal damage, robbery, theft, bullying, threats of violence, assault, hate crime, parental corporal punishment, cyberbullying and sexual harassment by adults or other young people. If the respondents had been a victim of any of the acts, they were asked whether they had experienced it in the previous 12 months and how many times. Relating to some of the experiences, the respondents were also presented with specifying questions about the last time they had been a victim of the crime, for instance, whether the perpetrator had been male or female, how old the perpetrator had been, what his/her ethnic background had been, whether the respondent had sustained injuries, and what had been stolen. Relating to experiences of violence, the respondents were further presented with a list of people (e.g. sibling, friend, mother, father, unknown adult, teacher, coach/instructor) and asked whether any of them had physically assaulted them (hit, kicked, or used a weapon).

Family and circumstances at home were surveyed with questions about the extent to which parents supported and were interested in the respondent's life. Relating to leisure time, questions probed how often the respondents were away from home in the evenings, went to parties with alcohol involved, spent long periods of time online, played violent games, watched violent films etc. Questions about the neighbourhood of residence and school investigated the prevalence of graffiti and vandalism in the neighbourhood, and the prevalence of vandalism and disruptive behaviour at school. The respondents were also asked whether their friends had used cannabis, shoplifted or been in a fight in a public place.

The respondents' personality traits were charted by asking them the extent they agreed with statements relating to impulsiveness, risk-seeking, and being considerate of others. The respondents were also asked how much insecurity they felt over different issues, such as environmental threats and disasters, crime, or hate speech on the Internet. The respondents' agreement with a variety of attitudinal statements about law-breaking, immigration and multiculturalism, religion, and revenge was surveyed.

The respondents were asked whether the school personnel had searched their belongings for or confiscated items or substances capable of harming others during the school year. The number of times this had happened was charted as well as who had searched for or confiscated the items, whether force had been used, and whether the respondent had tried to resist. Finally, the respondents were asked how much they appreciated different types of people, whether they personally wanted to be famous or admired and to achieve great things, and how happy and satisfied with life they had been in the previous six months.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's gender and age as well as the number of years they had lived in their municipality of residence, number of siblings, languages spoken at home, parents' economic activity, family's financial situation and type of the municipality of residence.